Evia, Tzia waters strewn with summer fires’ debris

Burnt trees and other flotsam from the summer wildfires in Evia and, perhaps, in Magnesia on central Greece’s eastern coast, have ended up in the sea and are creating a sailing hazard in the Kafireas Strait between the islands of Evia and Andros and, further south, to the island of Tzia.

“It’s a problem. There are entire tree trunks floating on the water,” says dive center owner Yiannis Tzavelakos, adding that the coast guard has sought his and others’ help to track the debris, especially along the routes of passenger ferries sailing to the island. 

“There is no way to collect the trunks from the sea, so you just have to wait for them to wash up or get taken by the current,” says the Tzia diver.

“It’s not such a big deal for us because we go slowly, but it can be dangerous for a speedboat, especially at night,” adds Dimitris Baltas, a Karystos fisherman. “The beaches further north are littered with wood, even entire trees.”